Change of Fate
by Wings of Illusion
Summary: (Final Fantasy IV) This picks up where The Dark Knight of the Mist by JDH1080 left off. Cecil has crashed in the Damcyan Desert with no memory of who he was before. The war against Golbez is still unstoppable, but it will begin differently from how it did in the game. AU.
1. Prologue

**AN: I don't own Final Fantasy IV or the idea that inspired the plot of this one. Square Enix owns Final Fantasy IV, and JDH1080 came up with the idea that this story will be using.**

**A few years ago, the author I just mentioned began work on a fanfic called The Dark Knight of the Mist, which involved Cecil Harvey being attacked on his first Red Wings mission and crashing into the Damcyan Desert. He is presumed dead by everyone in Baron, but is actually still alive. A summoner named Refia saved him from the wreckage of the ship, and brought him to her hometown of Mist. She, along with everyone else except one, was skeptical as to whether he was dangerous or not. Refia's young daughter Rydia instantly wanted to be friends with him. At the end of what was finished, Refia was showing signs of trusting the Dark Knight that she rescued. We didn't know about the rest of Mist, but in my version they will trust him as well.**

**The original fanfic was never finished, but the idea had a lot of potential in my eyes. So, when I created my new account, I asked for permission to use their idea, and here we are.**

**The chapter below is a small prelude meant to directly connect this story to The Dark Knight of the Mist. Everything after it will take place after the events of that one, and will follow the war against Golbez that occurred in the game. This might go in a different direction than their story would have if he had continued it.**

Prelude

Cecil's POV:  
Who was I before I lost my memory? All I have is a single name; Cecil. A young girl said that she heard me call myself that before I was completely awake, so that's all that anyone can call me until my memory returns.

I am currently living in a small village known as Mist, with a young woman named Refia and her daughter Rydia. Refia says that she found me under the wreckage of a ship in the Damcyan Desert, and brought me here.

Just recently, I recovered from a minor sickness, and a few broken bones healed. At first the villagers were a bit skeptical as to whether they should trust me, but Refia managed to convince them that I was not a threat. I think even she had her doubts at first, but Rydia trusted me right away.

Rydia was the first friend I made since losing my memory, and she told me that I'm the first one she ever made. She's a child, yet she also shows a lot of wisdom for someone her age. Like me, she never knew her father. The other villagers had him killed before she was born. After she told me this, she burst out crying, which continued until she fell asleep. All I could do was try and comfort her. I may not know who I am right now, but I know about death, and no child her age should have to deal with something like that.

I can't help but feel like I come from someplace else, and that something terrible is going on there. Every now and then images of a man in dark armor go through my head. The setting that these images are placed in feel a bit familiar to me. If that was my home once, it might not be the same when I get my memory back. As for the man in black, if he comes anywhere near Mist, he'll have to go through me first if he wants to hurt the summoners.

Kain's POV:

A lot of time has passed since we found out about Cecil's death.

The king has been acting quite strange lately. I began to notice it a little bit before Cecil's death, but it's becoming more clear to me that something in him has changed. Not quite sure what that is, but I hope to find out at some point.

After Cecil's ship crashed in the Damcyan Desert, a man named Golbez replaced him as leader of the Red Wings. I hate this man with every part of me. He does not deserve to have the position that Cecil was given. That's just disrespectful to my friend's memory. Not to mention, something about that man just makes my skin crawl. I don't know what it is, but I just get the feeling that Golbez has some dark intentions. I just wish I knew what they were.

Cecil told me before he left that if he didn't return that he wanted me to protect the woman he loved; Rosa. Of course, at the time I was certain that he would return, but none of us could have ever predicted that his ship would crash. Now that Golbez has taken my best friend's position, I fear for Rosa's safety even more. I plan to somehow get her out of Baron without him even realizing that she's gone. Right now, anywhere else would be a better place for her.


	2. Beginning of the War

**AN: I know that the last chapter was short. I really just meant that to be a prologue that showed the link between The Dark Knight of the Mist and Change of Fate. The actual chapters are going to be quite lengthy, as you'll see starting with this one. To the other person who reviewed my story, I will keep going. Thank you for the positive reviews so far. I hope you continue to enjoy this story.**

**This chapter focuses on the burning of Mist that happened at the beginning of the actual game, and the character's point of view changes many times to show what each character is thinking. There will be some overlap, but for the most part this chapter should be easy to follow. There is actually one part that I was very reluctant to do, but in order for the story to continue, I felt like it had to be done. This is something that cannot be missed when you're looking for something that will shock the reader.**

**There is going to be a line in this chapter that might confuse some of you. Normally I would assume that most summoners would know that they would die if their eidolon does, but Rydia at this point is too young to understand that. As a matter of fact, she actually seemed that way in the actual game.**

**EDIT 11/13/15: I can't believe I left an incomplete sentence in this story. I thought I was done doing that. Well, it's been fixed now. I hope I don't encounter another one.**

Chapter 1: Beginning of the War.

_Three months later..._

**Kain's POV:**  
I know what Golbez is up to now. During his most recent mission, I snuck on board his ship without him knowing, and watched in horror as he stormed into Mysidia and stole their crystal. The mages didn't even try to fight back, meaning that they weren't as dangerous as the king and Golbez claimed they were. Upon seeing this, I knew that my suspicions were right, this man is dangerous. I don't know what he's planning to do with the crystals, but I know that it can't be anything good.

Cecil wanted me to protect Rosa, and that's what I'm going to do. What I am going to do is leave Baron, and take her with me. There is a cave that leads to Mist, and after that town lies the Damcyan Desert. I have heard that there is an oasis known as Kaipo in the middle of the desert. If I can get her there, I think we'll both be safe.

"Rosa, after Cecil died I told you about how the King had changed, and that I didn't trust Golbez. Turns out I was right about him. I just witnessed him steal a crystal from Mysidia. I don't know what he plans to do with them, but the King is most definitely supporting this decision" I told her. "The only way for me to keep you safe is to leave Baron with you. It's not safe here anymore".

"I understand," she replied. "I'm willing to leave this place first thing tomorrow, but this is still going to be tough for me".

The King doesn't want me to leave, but said he wasn't going to stop me either. There is something that he wants me to do though, and I'm not so sure that it's the right thing to do. He wants me to take out a dragon in the cave, and deliver a ring to Mist. It seems like we're only asking for trouble by doing that.

I couldn't sleep that night. My thoughts kept drifting back to Golbez, and the possible dangers of my journey ahead. When the sun rose, I left my chamber and went to get Rosa. The castle gates closed as we walked through them.

Before headed to the cave, Rosa and I stopped at the town to get whatever we may need and say goodbye to Rosa's family.

"Before Cecil left for his final mission, I promised him that I would protect Rosa for him if he never returned. Once I found out he was dead, a man named Golbez took his place as leader of the Red Wings. I disliked this man immediately, and something about him made me think he may be dangerous. So, I told Rosa to stay away from him, and made it clear that I didn't trust him A couple of nights ago I found out I was right when he stole Mysidia's crystal, so we're leaving Baron to get away from him", I explained to her mother. She really didn't want us to go.

"I'm still sad that you're leaving, but I understand the situation. I hope that you succeed in escaping", Rosa's mother said.

"We do too. I still don't want to leave, but I know it's what I have to do to stay safe", Rosa assured her. "I don't know where we'll be going, but I know that it's probably going to be safer than here. Kain actually wanted to leave sooner, but I just had to say goodbye".

"Thank you for that", her mother said. "I never wanted to say this, but goodbye. I hope that you find safety. Just remember that we love you".

After that was done, we left the town and headed for the cave. Rosa offered to carry the package so that I could focus on defeating the monsters in our way. I could tell that this was going to be a tough journey right away, as we were confronted by goblins pretty quickly. Being a dragoon, I was able to jump on enemies to defeat them faster, but at times I would attack them just using my lance. Rosa would heal me when I got too injured, but thankfully that didn't happen very often. I would return the favor by healing her with potions that I bought back in the town before we left.

Going into the cave I immediately encountered some bats. I have had previous encounters with monsters like that, so I wasn't scared of them. What did scare me though was the mist that made things hard to see and a voice I would occasionally hear that told me to turn back. I ignored the warnings, but couldn't help but wonder why the voice seemed to be defending someone rather than oppressing them like the King said. The mist got thicker the further we ventured into the cave, until it all took the form of a dragon near the exit. I didn't want to defeat it, but I knew that not only had I been ordered to do this, it was my only way out of Baron.

No matter how much I attacked it, it only somewhat hurt me. Even if in some way I were to be nearly defeated, Rosa promised that she would heal me. The dragon never even tried to attack her, which was good. This went on for a little while, before the eidolon started to change its strategy.

Without warning, the dragon dissolved into mist. I tried to attack it in this form, but it retaliated with just enough damage to nearly kill both of us. To say I was surprised would be an understatement, as this was the first time that the dragon had attacked Rosa. She had to use a large amount of white magic to heal me and herself back to full health.

"I know the dragon's pattern now Rosa. It's only safe for me to attack it while it's in the main form. When it's just mist, that's when we'll focus on healing ourselves. If I attack it in this form, it may kill us", I said, explaining my plan for dealing with this fight without getting too hurt.

"Okay", she answered, showing that she understood.

After using this strategy, we were able to do more damage to the dragon. We weren't taking any more huge hits like the one that caused us to come up with this change of plan. After a few cycling through forms, I was able to see the fog disappearing. The eidolon was gone.

Now I'm confused. That dragon didn't seem to have any dark intentions. So, why did the King want me to kill it? If anything, it seemed to be just protecting Mist. I have a feeling that he may actually be on Golbez's side.

Upon entering Mist, the ring exploded. It had been a Carnelian Signet, and we were manipulated into using it on an innocent people. Since Rosa was carrying it, she got the full blast. I felt every urge to just burst into tears right then. I was supposed to protect her, not lead her to her death. How am I going to explain this to her parents?

"This is what the King wanted me to do?" I asked myself. I knew that something had seemed different about him for a while, but I never thought he would carry out an order like this. I felt even more remorseful when I heard what sounded like a young girl crying. From what she was saying, I realized that the dragon I just killed was her mother's.

Just when I thought things couldn't get worse, I walked in the direction that Rosa looked in just before she died, and I discovered that Cecil was still alive. Not only that, but he was protecting the child whose mother was just killed.

**Rydia's POV:**

Cecil and I could only watch as my mother died. After she took her last breath, I started crying harder than I ever had in my life before. I never knew my father, so I didn't know what it was like to lose him. This is different. Besides Cecil, my mother was the only friend I ever had. Why did she have to die because her dragon was slain?

Cecil promised my mother that he would protect me with his life. From that moment, it appeared that my friend regained most of the strength he lost before I met him. There was a confidence in his voice that I had never heard before. Seconds after he said that, I hugged him as hard as I could. He was the only person I had left, and I couldn't imagine losing him too.

I had no time to process what it was though, because out of nowhere, an explosion tore our village apart. Even though we were still near my mom's body, I knew that something happened. Upon hearing that sound, Cecil let go of me and drew his sword, who was no doubt looking for someone that wasn't from Mist. At the same time, I heard a scream come from the direction where the town's entrance was found. It sounded like someone else died, but I still didn't look anywhere else but at my mom's body and at my friend.

**Cecil's POV:**

"You're alive?" the man said in shock. I didn't know if he thought that the fire would have killed me, or if this was someone I knew from my previous life. Either way, I was not going to let him lay a finger on Rydia.

"Yes. Who are you?" I responded.

"Cecil, it's me, Kain", I heard him say. "I thought you were dead. Wish I could say that Rosa was still alive though."

"Well, I'm not, and I have no clue who you're talking about. Is she the woman who I saw enter the town with you? I have no idea who you are either, but I know that you killed this girl's mother," I shouted, drawing my sword. "If you come near her, you'll wish you never did this."

Kain seemed reluctant to fight, but drew his weapon anyways. I'm starting to think that someone sent him here to do this, as he tried one more time to explain his actions.

"I didn't want to do this. All I wanted to do was to get her to safety. Please, you have to believe me," he tried to reason with me. I still didn't take any chances though, and slashed at him. He was quick though, and blocked every attack that I threw at him. Even my Darkness ability didn't faze him.

All of a sudden, Kain jumped in the air and was aiming right for me. Before I could dodge him, his spear went through me, just barely missing my heart. The impact was almost as bad as the pain I felt when I was rescued, and I blacked out just a few seconds after the spear was removed.

**Rydia's POV:**

A man in dark armor approached us. I heard him talking to himself, and figured out that he was the one who did this. I couldn't do anything but watch as Cecil went into battle with that man. Something seemed different about my friend. Gone was the recovering man from the crash, and he was now determined to fight to keep me safe. His opponent seemed to know him, and was even reluctant to fight. The man tried just talking to him, but Cecil still didn't have his memory back, so he was unwilling to listen.

Eventually Cecil finally tried attacking him, but the man was too fast. Every attack that he tried to use was blocked. Eventually I saw the man jump into the air and pierce Cecil's armor. I ran over to Cecil to see if he was okay, but he didn't answer me. That attack was so strong that it knocked him out.

With my friend asleep, the man now advanced on me. He may have been speaking calmly, but I didn't trust him. He just burned my town, killed my mother, and attacked the only person I have left. I finally realized that I had to face him myself.

"Leave me alone. I hate you!" I screamed at him through tears. I was so sure that I was going to die. That man just killed my mother and injured my best friend. Finally, I stepped forward. A feeling I had never felt before settled in, and I managed to summon a beast I have never seen to attack him. Suddenly, the ground began to shake, and a cliff just appeared. He could no longer reach me or Cecil.

As soon as that happened, I began to feel that I was going to sleep too. Just before I hit the ground, I used most of the strength I had left to use white magic on Cecil, healing the wound that made him sleep. Then, I closed my eyes.

**Kain's POV:**  
I was surprised to see such a young girl cause such a huge cliff to appear. For something like that to happen, she must have really thought I was going to hurt her.

I retreated back to Baron, vowing to avenge everyone Golbez has ever killed. I may have failed to keep Rosa safe, but her death made me realize just how much I hate him. Maybe if things had been different I might have been manipulated into his plan, but not after all that has happened. Thinking that Cecil was dead for so long has made me stronger. Now that I know that he is alive, I have to find him. How he survived the crash, I have no idea. We only found two survivors at the time, and he wasn't one of them. Only way I can see that we missed him was that Mist got to him first. If that's the case, then it's no wonder we all thought he was dead. I wish I had looked around a bit more, since we never found a body to identify as him. Maybe then Rosa's death could have been avoided.

Although we are friends, Cecil didn't seem to recognize me during that struggle, which I think is why he attacked me. Can't really say I blame him though, he was trying to defend that child from harm, and her village was just torched. Hurting Cecil was not something that I wanted to do. I don't know what I was thinking when I jumped on him. It seemed like I was aiming for an opponent's heart, but when I realized that I was about to end him I redirected the lance somewhere that wouldn't kill him. At least, I hope he's alive. It's possible that the girl he was protecting knows some white magic that could heal him.

My way out of Baron is blocked, but I'm not giving up. When Golbez goes to steal the next crystal, I am going to sneak onto the ship and get off the ship when it stops. From there, I will search for Cecil and the girl. When I find them, I'll make sure they know who was really behind that disaster. Hopefully Cecil will remember me this time. As for the girl, I don't know her, but she was another one of Golbez's victims who seems to know and trust Cecil. Therefore, she needs to know that I had no intention of harming her. If I can get them to trust me, then Golbez won't know what hit him.

**Cecil's POV:**

_(In a dream)_

_"We're the Red Wings, there's nothing we can't defeat," I assured everyone on board. There was only one dragon attacking, and many of us. From how things seemed, we should've had the advantage. However, after we tried to bring this thing down a few times, I began to realize that this was no ordinary foe._

_"Men, prepare to retreat. We cannot take on such a foe, at least not by ourselves" I shouted. Too late, the dragon already fired something at the ship, bringing us down. Once the ship crashed into the sand, I felt a small amount of white magic being used on me. Then without warning, everything faded to black._

(Now conscious)  
I awoke all of a sudden, my memory returned to me. Now I know who I am. Rydia was right, my name _is _Cecil. How she found this out I still don't know, but I'll make sure to ask her at some point. I was from Baron, and had been on my first mission with the Red Wings. Judging from how strangely the King has been acting lately, I think he might have wanted us to attack someplace. Whatever our mission was though, Refia's Dragon was what brought us down. From what the villagers at Mist said, I may have been the only survivor. If there were others, then Baron may have found our wrecked ship too. It's kind of ironic how the woman who stopped us also saved my life.

Getting my memory back hasn't changed the man I have become since the crash. If anything, I feel like losing my memory after the crash helped me to see what is right. I can't go back to Baron due to a cliff that appeared while I was knocked out. Even if I could go back, I wouldn't. Too much has changed right now.

The man who killed Refia was my best friend before I went on that mission with the Red Wings; Kain Highwind. I don't even think he knew what he was doing when he slew her dragon or entered the village, because the Kain I knew would never have done something like that on his own volition. He may have been reckless at times, but he always meant well.

What breaks my heart even more now is that the woman who was with him was Rosa, the woman I loved. I had told Kain that if I didn't make it back to Baron that I wanted him to protect her. Looks like someone from my old home may have found a way to get her killed. If I ever see the person who was behind this attack I will make him pay for what he did to us. Too many people have died today. Rosa and Refia were the closest to me, but I know there were other villagers who got caught in the blast who have been nothing but kind. I don't know how many survivors there were. Maybe someday I'll be able to return to Mist and help anyone who is still alive.

Rydia is all I have left now, and I cannot lose her. She is unconscious right now, but still alive. I think she was the one who used the healing magic on me that I felt during the dream I had after Kain knocked me out. When she wakes up, I will finally be able to tell her about who I really am, and how these recent events changed my life. For now though, I have to carry her through the desert until I can find a place where we can both recover.

**AN 2: I know that I may have caused a few of you to stop following the story by killing off Rosa. Believe me, that was not something I wanted to do. Along with both Cecil and Rydia, she is one of my favorite characters in Final Fantasy IV, and killing her off is the toughest decision I've made in any fanfic I've ever written. That includes anything from my first account, or the ones I've kept to myself.**

**As for Edge, I don't know about him yet. I know a bunch of people ship him and Rydia together, but that's not happening here since she's going to be with Cecil (once she's out of the Feymarch, that is). If any of you have any suggestions for him, let me know.**


End file.
